


City Wolves

by Anonymous



Category: Buzzfeed The Try Guys (Web Series)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Werewolves, Fighting, M/M, Pack, Possibly Pre-Slash, Shapeshifting, Technically also a meet-cute, Territory
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-24
Updated: 2018-08-24
Packaged: 2019-07-02 00:53:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,893
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15785625
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/
Summary: Eugene ran his palm along the wooden bar, adding his own smell to the mix. This was his task for tonight: to patrol the eight clubs that spanned the border of their partying grounds and renew their claim, warning any potential trespassers that challenging the pack was a bad,badidea.





	City Wolves

Eugene strode past the bouncer like he owned the club. Red and blue lights flickered around him, a deep, droning bass thrummed into his skin and he breathed the smoke-filled air. The sting of alcohol seared his nose, followed by the thick rush of human sweat. Below that, barely discernible but clinging like the smell of onions on his fingers, was something more familiar: Keith and Becky from two weeks before, fading but still there, overlapping with Ned and Ariel and the others from the last time.

Pleased, Eugene sauntered over to the bar. The scents grew stronger, until there was no room for doubt: any stranger who came here would know that this was Pack territory.

He ran his palm along the wood, adding his own smell to the mix. This was his task for tonight: to patrol the eight bars that spanned the border of their partying grounds and renew their claim, warning any potential trespassers that challenging the pack was a bad, bad idea.

The barkeeper walked up to him. “What can I get you?”

Eugene smiled. He’d start the night off easy. “Tequila shot.”

The sloshing of liquid in the glass was a stark contrast to the drumbeat of the music. Eugene leaned over the bar to take his drink. It was then that another smell hit him: juicy like thick green grass in the summer combined with the first whiff of flowers re-opening after a heavy rainfall, when the air tasted clean.

He drew in a breath through his nose and mouth, swishing the scent along his palate to discern every nuance: sweet citrus, men’s deodorant, a hint of aged paper. It reminded him of his first Christmas with the pack: curling up with the other wolves on Ned’s living room carpet, snout buried in his packbrothers’ warm fur.

Eugene looked around, thoughts racing. That was clearly another wolf. Judging by the sweetness clinging to him, he must be young. Weak. Straight from his family’s den into the big city.

But he couldn’t locate him in the crowd and when he sniffed cautiously, the smell seemed flatter, a little stale. He had been here not too long ago, but he had moved on.

Eugene downed his shot and waved the barkeeper over.

“Another, sir?”

Shaking his head, Eugene handed the glass over, together with a ten dollar bill. “No, I gotta go. I just remembered I’m supposed to meet an associate of Ned’s. I might drop by tomorrow, though.”

He collected his change, waved goodbye and let his nose lead him out into the night. The street was dark, though less so through his wolf’s eyes, and light-pollution made counting the stars impossible. Among the bitter punch of car fumes and fresh vomit coating the outside of a trash can, he found the scent again, fresher, more recent.

Eugene winced and headed for the bar across the street. They droned the same loud music, suffused with a bit more sweat. The people that came here seemed to suffer from a collective fondness of thick leather jackets, regardless of the weather. There was a tang of weed underneath, smoked probably yesterday.

He stopped right inside the door and scanned the crowd. Humans stood or danced, clustered in small groups. In between, a handful of loners weaved through the sea of bodies, heading for the bar or the restroom or the exit. The hairs on the back of Eugene’s neck prickled. He was here.

His gaze was drawn to the corner furthest from him, where, snug against the wall a small figure hunched. It was a man, though from height alone, he could have been a boy. His dark hair was cut short and unremarkable, and he wore baggy, completely unfashionable clothes. He ran his hands over the wood of the counter almost reverently, right where Eugene always left his mark.

Suddenly, the figure in the corner startled out of nowhere, and looked up warily. He met Eugene’s hard stare across the room at first try. In the flickering lights, his eyes shone blue like the Caribbean sea.

Eugene stood frozen on his spot by the door. All of a sudden, everything had faded except for the young wolf’s round face and his slim fingers, still rubbing his smell into the wood where it didn’t belong.

Until a waitress appeared next to him and handed him a tall glass of something red. The wolf looked up to thank the girl, breaking eye contact with Eugene.

Heat flared in Eugene’s belly, irritation and confusion rising past his cold shock to mix together and form something vile. He clenched his fists, forcing down the urge to charge across the room. This stranger was intruding on pack territory, leaving his smell and presence all over the border, and it was Eugene’s duty to chase him away. If one went unpunished there would be others, and then there would be challengers, and that couldn’t happen. He needed to stop it right now.

Eugene took a step forward, half in trance, and bumped into a drunk dancer.

“Watch it, dude,” the man slurred.

Eugene shoved him away, eyes locked on the other wolf, and then paused. There were more people blocking his way. Innocent humans who didn’t know what they were and, in the worst case, would call the police. Attacking the stranger-wolf was out of the question.

Eugene straightened. “Sorry.”

From across the room, the stranger-wolf’s eyes bore into him in wordless challenge. He couldn’t have been louder had he screamed. Eugene’s claws lengthened on instinct. He didn’t try to hide it, merely kept them half-curled by his side and nodded towards the door.

The wolf shook his head. _No._

But when Eugene bared his teeth and growled, the blue eyes widened and he slid off his chair. He was scared. Good.

Eugene walked out without looking back. A car drove by when he stepped outside and the wind had picked up. It stroked along the fur that had erupted on Eugene’s hands and ruffled the top of a lone tree to his right. A group of drunk stragglers giggled on his left, huddling together, and a couple hastened past with a pair of dogs. No one was out alone, not even on a busy night. In the distance, the traffic light turned red.

Eugene sniffed the air for any traces of other wolves. But they were alone.

He turned to the tree and walked past it until he rounded the next street corner, which lead into a slightly less noise side alley. It wasn’t completely off the grid, but safe from view for the time being. Although that would probably change with the sounds of dogs fighting.

He waited for the crunch of shoes on the sidewalk behind him before facing the stranger head-on. “You’re trespassing on pack territory. The border is pretty obvious and you should have respected it.”

The other wolf’s eyes flashed. Dark fur spread over his arms and neck and he widened his stance. When he spoke, Eugene saw rows of pointed teeth. “This is Los Angeles. I have smelled so many wolves the past few days, some of them don’t even seem to _have_ a territory. Also, don’t you all have jobs? Do you just rip loners apart on their way to work? You’re stupid.”

Eugene felt his hackles rise. Just below his skin, his wolf snarled, its anger vibrating through his vocal cords. It tore at his control, wanting to put the _pup_ in place. Who was he, to challenge an older wolf’s dominance?

Eugene held his wolf down. “You have nothing to find here on pack grounds. Leave.”

The stranger-wolf rolled his eyes, completely unimpressed by Eugene’s posturing.

It made his wolf thrash inside him. Pictures of his teeth wrapped around the other’s throat flashed through Eugene’s mind. _Punish._

He was half on all fours now, tail curling out of his jeans, claws stretching towards the dirt. He growled loudly. “If you won’t leave, I’m going to make you.”

The other wolf slipped out of his clothes and dropped onto the asphalt. He was really tiny, little more than skin and bones under that thick coat of shaggy brown fur. As if half his childhood he’d been fed grass instead of meat. But his tail was raised and his teeth bared, and those hypnotizing blue eyes hadn’t changed. _Come at me, bro._

Eugene jumped. The wolf burst out of his skin, taking over his body. He landed on paws, barreled the pup over and pressed him into the ground.

The smaller wolf snarled and squirmed, using his lack of size to wriggle out from under Eugene’s claws. As soon as he was free, he snapped at his flank. _Missed!_

Eugene let out an enraged howl. He was going to make the pup run with his tail between his legs!

The younger wolf circled him, watching closely for any opening. But Eugene was no stranger to street brawls. He feinted a bite to the neck, leaving his flank bare for a split second. The pup pounced with a bark of triumph and Eugene was there to catch him by the hind-foot. He bit down.

The pup howled and thrashed, ears dropping flat to his skull.

The painful sound shuddered right through Eugene. He loosened his grip without meaning to, allowing the other wolf to yank his paw free. He limped away as fast as he could, eyes flashing with rage and hurt. It didn’t suit him. Nor did the first faint traces of blood from where Eugene had nicked him. Not when the smells of warmth and comfort and happiness still clung to his fur, under a layer of loneliness and confusion that he tried very hard to hide.

Something curled in Eugene’s gut. It wasn’t just rage any more. His desire to chase the intruder away suddenly suffused with the need to soothe the younger wolf’s hurt. Unfortunately, he had a duty to fulfill.

He met the pup’s eyes and saw wariness there. He was alert, certain now that Eugene meant business, which would make this fight a lot harder to win. Eugene licked the blood from his fangs. He would need to tire the pup out.

It shouldn’t take all that long, because the younger wolf already held himself stiffly. But there was more aggression in the way he moved now, paws pounding the pavement with intent, and a hostile tilt to his maw. He probably wanted to get back at Eugene for the leg, which he was favoring with every step.

Eugene’s wolf zeroed in on the show of weakness, instinct urging him to use this advantage to overwhelm his opponent.

He didn’t do it. Instead, he softened his posture into something less threatening and trotted after the pup. The younger wolf evaded, of course, but Eugene just kept pressing, avoiding a direct hit until their fight became more of a dance: a fluid exchange, light footsteps and feints that could be play.

It was worth leaving his side open when the pup took the bait. Eugene saw the curiosity in his eyes when he charged, biting into his shoulder and tightening his teeth in Eugene’s thick, black fur. He held fast, trying to get to his skin.

A stab of guilt pierced Eugene for what he was about to do, but he curled around anyway, using his superior bulk to swoop the pup’s legs out from under him. Then he dropped down with his full weight, this time pinning the pup so secure he couldn’t wriggle away.

The pup yelped and struggled. When he realized he was stuck, he glared up at Eugene. His blue eyes shone with betrayal, and it looked more like a human pout than a wolf’s snout had any right to.

Eugene preened. They were both panting hard, their smells mingling between their mouths – hurt and triumph together – but he had won. The only thing that remained was to demand submission from the loser. He’d just have to close his jaw around the pup’s throat and make clear once and for all that he only lived at Eugene’s mercy.

Eugene growled, hovering his teeth dangerously close to the younger wolf’s neck.

The pup whined and tipped his head back, baring his throat. It was covered in lighter colored fur, the hairs shorter and softer here. Fear-scent rose off him, and his injured leg trembled.

Eugene’s heart twisted. He just had to bite down, the victory was so close, but somehow he couldn’t do it. He needed to, the pack needed him to, they were counting on him to keep them safe, but his grip loosened and he just sat there, breathing.

The pup whimpered. The smell of his fear intensified and he closed his pretty blue eyes.

Instinctively, Eugene pressed closer, sniffing at his ears. Which was absolutely not what he should be doing. He should be snarling and growling, but the pup smelled so un-threatening Eugene only wanted to bury himself in his fur and fall asleep there, lulled by the sound of his heartbeat.

He was so small and alone, what threat could he possibly be to a pack as powerful as theirs? He was panicking just from Eugene holding him down!

Eugene thumped his tail to the ground. He needed to calm the pup, and maybe then he would explain to him how stupid he’d been, traipsing through other wolves’ territory, and how it would get him killed if he ran into someone less friendly.

The young wolf stopped whining. He fell completely silent, and Eugene knew it wasn’t because he was calming down. It was because he was too terrified to move.

Guilt curled in Eugene’s gut. That hadn’t been his intent. He drew his nose along the pup’s cheek, and then presented his snout for the other to smell him too.

Confused, the wolf blinked up at him. Eugene just waited. He could see the pup was fighting the urge to flee, but eventually he gave in and nuzzled Eugene’s snout in a show of acceptance.

He evidently expected to be let up after accepting his loss like that, judging by the squawk he let out when Eugene licked a stripe right across his muzzle. His tiny brown ears twitched in indignation.

Eugene wanted to laugh at that, but he couldn’t in this form, so he just wagged his tail. Then he realized he didn’t want to let the pup up. The feeling was positively weird: as if the other would just vanish into smoke if he let go now. Eugene had learned early on to trust his instincts, so he didn’t.

Instead he rubbed his face into the other wolf’s neck one last time before standing up, over him, keeping him between his legs so he could just pin him if he needed to. Then he moved to his injured paw. The pup twitched and recoiled.

Eugene made a soothing noise deep in his throat.

Eventually, the tension eased from the young wolf’s body. Limb by limb, he relaxed, until he was merely watching and not readying himself to bolt at the first chance he got.

Warmth fluttered in Eugene’s belly. He wanted to wrap himself around the pup and never let go. Which was even weirder, because he usually didn’t like being touched. Apart from exchanging scent marks with the pack, of course, but that was different.

Eugene pushed the feeling down and drew himself to his feet.

The pup followed. He moved carefully, as if he was trying to avoid provoking Eugene again. Once on all fours, he first tested his injured foot and then shook out his fur. When he looked up, he kept his head lower than Eugene’s.

Behind them, a car honked and roared past.

Eugene cringed. He’d completely forgotten they were out in the open. The pup had, too, judging by the startled look on his face. He dropped his ears in dismay, shivering with exhaustion.

It made Eugene want to slide up next to him and shield him from the noise.

The wind brought the pungent odor of car fumes and frying oil, together with a whiff of... Eugene turned his attention towards the main street. There it was, beneath the smell of a dozen humans, welcoming like a warm blanket: the smell of pack. They were here and close. Probably looking for him.

Eugene glanced down at the other wolf.

The pup was staring in the same direction, where their side alley met the main street. He looked ready to run.

Eugene felt a surge of confidence. He sat down on his haunches and changed back. His fur retreated, hair by hair, as did his fangs and claws and the pointed ears and the tail, until he was his human self again. He reached for his clothes. “You might want to change back,” he told the pup. “Welcome to the pack... what’s your name?”

The wolf’s eyes widened. But he did as told, retreating to his own bundle of clothes. As soon as the young man was back – wow, he was hairy, even in his human form – he glowered at Eugene. “I’m Zach. Now, wait a second.”

Eugene bared his teeth. The pup’s smell lingered on his skin. “You walk here, so you’re part of the pack. Come on, I’ll introduce you to the others.”

**Author's Note:**

> This work may be edited in the future.


End file.
